Earnie Mitchell will be missedBREB The Brampton Real Estate Board's founding member and Past President, Earnie Mitchell passed away Sept. 3rd with his family at his side. As the Founder of Mitchell Real Estate Brampton, he also served in senior positions with a number of real estate organizations including Past President of The Brampton Real Estate Board, Brampton Board of Trade, Ontario Real Estate Association and Past Vice President of the Canadian Real Estate Association.

FREE Business Building Workshop with Mike MatarazaBREB Mike is one of America's leading authorities on the development of human potential and personal effectiveness and he has been training people on business and motivation for over 15 years. He speaks to tens of thousands of people each year, is currently writing his first book and sold thousands of audio programs on sales and business!

Brampton judge gives 'monster' home's owner 3 optionsToronto Star A judge has given the owner of a partially built Brampton monster home until next year to settle his dispute with city officials who want the structure torn down.
Following his earlier decision, which stayed a city order revoking Ahmed Elbasiouni's building permit, Ontario Superior Court Justice Kofi Barnes set out a timeline to find a resolution.

Report: Immigration boosting housing sectorThe Globe and Mail With every report of continued strength in the remarkably stubborn Canadian housing market (and we have had more such indications recently), the question gets asked: how can Canada's housing sector possibly keep this up?
National Bank Financial believes it has one compelling answer: immigration.

Stricter mortgage rules still slowing CMHC lendingCBC News Stricter lending rules continue to slow underwriting activity at the CMHC and taxpayers' exposure to a housing crash, the federal housing agency's second-quarter report shows. Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp. said the number of insured mortgages rose slightly in the second quarter compared to the same period last year — largely due to temporary factors — but added that overall, activity has slowed sharply from last year.

Toronto vote on development charges raises points to considerToronto Star In the past few columns, I have tried to dispel some myths surrounding development charges and bring clarity to the fact that decisions about them affect new homebuyers the most.
This month, City of Toronto councillors will decide whether the proposed increase to the city's development charges is fair and reasonable for our newest neighbours.

Agents Equity This unique Internet service lets you receive advance payment of your real estate sales commission before closing for immediate access to the money you've earned.
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Interested in buying a power-of-sale property? Keep your emotions in checkToronto Star When a home is being sold by power of sale it means the mortgage lender, not the homeowner, is selling the property. It's a remedy available to a lender when the homeowner defaults on their mortgage.
As a buyer, there are some important things to consider about power of sale transactions.

Why real estate doomsayers continue to be wrongFinancial Post With real estate forecasts ranging from smooth sailing to a soft landing to a U.S.-style crash, the future is foggy at best. For many, even those inside industry players, it's confusing. "The more you cover the housing market," says Robert McLister, editor of Canadian Mortgage Trends and a mortgage planner at intelliMortgage, "the more you realize it's unpredictable."

Toronto real estate prices jump with condos helping rise in salesMetro News It's been a surprisingly hot summer for real estate across the GTA, with sales up 21 per cent in August over a year earlier, according to figures released by the Toronto Real Estate Board.
Prices have also rebounded, in defiance of naysayers who, for more than a year now, have been anticipating a market crash.

Ontario government promising stricter rules for housing allowancesThe Globe and Mail Ontario's Liberal government is vowing to tighten the rules around housing allowances after The Globe and Mail revealed a Toronto-area opposition MPP is billing taxpayers for his second residence. The MPP in question, Progressive Conservative finance critic Peter Shurman, also agreed to stop claiming money from the housing allowance. However, it appears he will not pay back the funds he has already received.

Why real estate heats up as the sun sets on summerThe Grid Nobody wants to be the one to trumpet the end of summer, but, alas the end is nigh. The upside is that September means the start of NFL season, the kids get back to school — and out of our hair — and the busy fall real-estate market gets underway.

Homeowners who get cold feet about selling are liable for agreed commissionToronto Star Selling your home can be an emotional experience, and it's possible to get cold feet after the "for sale" sign has gone up.
When you first listed your home for sale, you likely signed a listing agreement with the brokerage. This is a legal document and it should detail how much commission is to be paid.

Opinion: The Competition Bureau is right to open the MLSReal Estate Magazine The Competition Bureau, an independent federal agency responsible for the administration and enforcement of the Competition Act, is at war with Canadian organized real estate.
The bureau claims, "The overwhelming majority of real estate transactions in Canada are brokered through the MLS system."

Solar developer 'runs roughshod' over city property in WindsorMetro News An aspiring solar developer in Windsor, ON, has run afoul of his neighbours after building on city property without getting a permit.
Property owner Hanan Al Hassan has installed several solar panels on a vacant lot in south Windsor. However, he recently took it upon himself to build an access road on a public right of way.